How TISAX® Certification can boost your Digital Transformation?

First of all, to answer this question, we need to understand the role of TISAX® Certification in Digital Transformation. Therefore, we need to explain what TISAX® is. Some of you might already know what TISAX® is and who needs TISAX® Certification. Therefore, they can jump to the second section directly.

TISAX® Certification is more than Information and IT-Security. In this post, we will explain how TISAX® Certification can boost your Digital Transformation.

What is TISAX® Certification?

Let’s start with the acronym. TISAX® stands for Trusted Information Security Assessment Exchange. Or so-called; ISO 27001 for automotive. However, TISAX® is way more specific and in our opinion useful than any other Information and IT Security certification. In 2017, the German Association of the Automotive Industry (Verband der Automobilindustrie, VDA) published its list of criteria regarding information security in the automotive industry.

Therefore giant automotive producers like VW, BMW, Daimler are demanding their suppliers to be TISAX® certified. Regardless of whether you are an OEM producer or a creative agency that designs websites, you will need the certification. Of course in case you want to work with those companies. This means even a small company with 5 employees might be required to have TISAX® Certification. Hence the size of the company doesn’t play a role in the TISAX® requirement.

You can find detailed information in this blog post about TISAX Certification.

What is the role of TISAX® Certification in Digital Transformation?

TISAX® Certification requires companies to have processes in place for IT and Information Security. Furthermore, processes have to be monitored in HR, Controlling (Compliance), and Procurement departments as well. Those processes include Change Management, Patch Management, Incident Management, Supplier Evaluation, Document Classification, GDPR Processes, etc. All of those processes are the foundation stones of the TISAX® Certification. Therefore, TISAX® helps companies by laying the basics of business process management (BPM).

Up to this point, it might sound obvious. However, in reality, these companies are working in complex processes, and unintegrated systems and they lack a center of management. Therefore, if a company’s processes are not in place, TISAX® can really benefit by putting things in order.

On top of that, TISAX® requires documenting and monitoring those processes with pre-defined KPIs. In turn, which helps companies to be more transparent, monitorable, and secure. Those KPIs are the starting points for Continuous Improvement Processes. There are also companies that take a couple of steps further by using the accumulated data for further analysis and future projections.

One major thing that TISAX® Certification helps companies with is Information Security Management Systems (ISMS). TISAX® requires a structured ISMS, having the roles (and process owners) defined. In addition to that, necessary policies, procedures, and registers are defined and put in place.

Finally, TISAX® Certification also helps with Risk Assessment for both IT and Non-IT Assets. That in turn, helps the Business Continuity Management. Often those topics are underestimated in businesses.

How TISAX® can help further with Digital Transformation?

While implementing TISAX® processes, you can also consider a further process implementation phase. As mentioned above, KPIs from TISAX® can help with Continuous Improvement Processes. Every process can be improved. However, the process needs to be documented first, before any attempt of improvement.

In a nutshell, process optimization follows the steps below:

• Define
• Optimize
• Digitalize
• Automate

Furthermore, there are more brick stones that TISAX® Certification lays for your company:

• Creating employee awareness for Information and IT Security
• Regular training for a smooth operation
• Processes running instead of fulfilled documentation for the sake of certification
• Tracked KPIs for Information IT-Security Performance

Want to learn about your TISAX® readiness level?

A good way to assess yourself for TISAX®, as well as your processes in place, is to run a Self-Assessment for TISAX®. You can do it in several ways, here is our blog post about the benefits of Self-Assessment for TISAX®.

By running the Self-Assessment for TISAX® you can assess your TISAX® maturity level. On top of that, the result will also be a good indicator of how your company is digitally advanced. Having said that, a digital maturity level is a key indicator for Digital Transformation. Thus, we strongly recommend having an eye on Digital Maturity Level as a KPI.

What’s next?

There are 2 options worth mentioning here. Firstly, if you are in the process of getting your TISAX® Certification, you might consider the implementation from a long-term perspective. How this certification will help my Digital Transformation goals? You might also benefit from getting external help.

Secondly, if you already have your TISAX® Certification in place, but are not sure how to integrate it into your Digital Transformation, here are a couple of options on how we might help you.

Wrapping-up

In this blog post, we have tried to give you a quick overview of TISAX®. As well as, how a TISAX® Certification can help you with your Digital Transformation.

Finally, as of September 2021, TISAX® is well known in Germany, but not necessarily often used in any other country. My prediction is TISAX® will become a global standard by 2030. As it slowly gains traction from countries like the US, UK, Portugal, Poland, Czech Republic, and Turkey.

TISAX® ist eine eingetragene Marke der ENX Association. Die 360 Digitale Transformation steht in keiner geschäftlichen Beziehung zur ENX. Mit der Nennung der Marke TISAX® ist keine Aussage des Markeninhabers zur Geeignetheit der hier beworbenen Leistungen verbunden. TISAX® Assessments, zur Erlangung von Labels, werden nur von den auf der Homepage der ENX genannten Prüfdienstleistern durchgeführt.

About the Author

Can Adiguzel is the founder of 360 Digital Transformation. He is a TISAX consultant and ISO 27001 Lead Auditor. He has been working in IT project management for more than 11 years. His passion is information security for SMEs and he helps SMEs overcome their information security challenges with a hands-on consulting approach.